


It's Alright

by Burnish Flares (Sphairais)



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Not Beta Read, Spoilers, Survivor Guilt, not so heavy angst but hhhh, takes place abt 18ish mnths after the movie, we die like fools
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:07:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21831814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sphairais/pseuds/Burnish%20Flares
Summary: There was no grand display, no silly childish font, pictures drawn in crayon and hastily scanned and pasted on the slide, odd color choices, or even video or sound effects of dogs barking like he had expected.I think we should start a family.Seven simple words written in a soft white against a dark background and those seven simple words would have caused anyone to leap from their spot and smile, laugh, and cry tears of joy at the request but Lio? He was distraught.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 4
Kudos: 97





	It's Alright

**Author's Note:**

> I have hands and I'm gonna make that everyone's problem.

“I dunno I think maybe it’d be kind of nice. We’ve done a lot together so this-“ Galo smiles and it’s different this time, there’s no cockyness to it and it’s enough to stop Lio from stopping his presentation and he starts gesturing for him to relax, lay back, and watch as Galo cycled through the slides while he spoke. Each one held news article clippings crudely pasted to them as if he'd scanned them rather than pull up the digital version, pictures and videos of their many heroics acts done for Promepolis.

There was the Foresight pharmaceuticals building on one, then the lake or rather the now empty whole where professor's Deus lab used to be, the Parnassus, and the recently finished burnish compounds. In each picture there was a story and a video, a memory that they both held dear. Lio's planned capture (that was a popular debating point on whether or not it had been intentional or that someone's "burning fire fighter soul" had overpowered the other's), the lake in which they discovered the truth about the Promare and Piloted the Lio de Galon together in almost perfect psync, the Parnassus which for Lio was still an overwhelming monolith that represented the pain and trauma inflicted on the burnish but one that also held the memories of his final hours as the head of the Burnish and Mad Burnish. He recalls hearing the shuffle between Galo and Kray, Galo's promise to save everyone, even the man who had manipulated him all those years and wanted him gone and more importantly, the panic and pleas that escaped him before he went and breathed life back into him, oxygen and flame together stopping Lio from fading and crumbling into nothing but ash. He continued on, showing pictures of the compounds, them painting the walls which later devolved into an all out splatfest but lead to some interesting room designs involving hands soaked in blues and pinks pressed into walls or silly shapes and animals drawn onto them crudely. He kept his focus on the slides, a small smile spread across his lips as he hummed in acknowledgement.

“This stuff? This is all nothing, compared to what I want to do next-” There's a pause before Galo starts up again, scratching at the back of his neck before returning to the screen. "Okay well except the Lio de Galon BUT that's not the point here!"

“Galo de Lion.” Lio’s quick to chime in response. Why his name was still first was beyond him but he made sure to remind the other that he worked just as hard that fateful night, he should at least let his name be first for the now defunct mech that sat aboard the now permanently docked Parnassus.

“And look, just take a sec before you say no, okay? I wasn't sure how to ask and well I asked everyone about it! Lucia helped me make the slides, Aina said she'd help us and Meis and Gueira gave me their blessings-" That statement alone earned Galo a confused and concerning look. What did he need their blessings for? "Okay well Varys helped me get their blessings and Heris did too but I dunno maybe.. Gimme a sec!" There's a pregnant pause, Galo's lips are pursed in a soft yet awkward smile as he tries to psych himself up while he quickly pats himself down, searching for the remote he had just a few moments ago. He must have set it down a good five minutes ago and Lio chuckled. With how the slide was set, it seemed like he had made a powerpoint similar to one a child would make when asking for a puppy. Did Galo even like dogs? Probably.

He was hyper enough as it was, adding a dog to that equation would probably exhaust the both of them further but.. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. He leaned into the couch, letting himself sink into it and further into his own train of thought. What kind of dog would they even get? Nothing too large as the last thing Lio wanted was to be dragged around by a dog twice his weight. It’s bad enough with Galo as it is who has no problem tugging the smaller of the two every which way so adding a large breed of dog might have been out of the question. He found his gaze locked onto Galo who’s brow was furrowed as he took a deep breath.

There was a quiet ‘aha' followed by a faint click and a slow fade in transition to the final slide. On any other day, he would have chosen something obnoxious, a pinwheel transition or the one that checkers in from the sides with sounds too but today was different. There was no grand display, no silly childish font, pictures drawn in crayon and hastily scanned and pasted on the slide, odd color choices, or even video or sound effects of dogs barking like he had expected.

_I think we should start a family._

Seven simple words written in a soft white against a dark background and those seven simple words would have caused anyone to leap from their spot and smile, laugh, and cry tears of joy at the request but Lio? He was distraught. The dread he felt seeped into his bones and he didn't hide it, not that he was able to as he slowly shook his head. He wished that he had asked for a puppy now, a fish, a pet rock, or even a plant cause that was better than the thoughts that seemed to echo in the back of his mind.

Lio Fotia, former leader of the Mad Burnish and now Ex-Burnish, starting a family with Galo Thymos. Was that _allowed_ for him? For Galo? Maybe for Galo but not for a Burnish, not for someone who's entire life was spent running, spent building wall after wall and locking people out or burning. _Burnish don't kill without reason_ but even if he hadn't, he still caused harm, he destroyed homes because of the Promare that sought to burn harder and stronger, stole for the sake and even rampaged through downtown Promepolis, leaving burnish flares in his wake while blinded by sheer rage due to Kray. Even if he hadn't killed anyone, he still _hurt_ them, he displaced them and his stunt back then had almost set them back and only furthered the terror that some people felt towards them. Seconds blended into minutes before Galo was the first to break the silence and sat on the couch beside Lio, who subconsciously found himself curling up with his knees to his chest as he searched for something anything to stabilize himself and his thoughts.

"They said you might freak out about this." He whispered, placing a hand on the smaller's back, "Just thought it'd be more with fire and those eyebrows, ya know?" He laughed awkwardly, trying to salvage the mood. Galo was smart, capable of reading the room and salvaging the mood but when Lio remained silent he just sat there, hand rested on the other's back and running small circles along his back as he watched carefully, keeping an eye on the way his chest nearly heaved with each second. Lio was practically hyperventilating.

 _In and out, nice and slow, take all the time you need._ Despite the silence, he could hear Galo repeating those instructions like a mantra, afterall he heard them frequently after the second world blaze on sleepless nights. " _Galo_." His voice is pained, choked even as he tries desperately to find the words that seemed to flood his mind while avoiding making contact with those soft blue eyes. _What about the other burnish? They need me elsewhere too, they need me to help them settle back into society. What about the ones who lost their families to the prometech engine or Kray's experiments? The ones who were snuffed out and didn't get this life?_ "You can't just- You can't just _say that_."

 _Say what?_ He wants to ask but he knows and he knows all too well, it had been a long discussion over the course of nearly a year. It took all of a year of convincing and promises to show Lio that he did deserve happiness, that he did deserve love and that he'd do everything he could to give him just that. Month after months of fighting over his supposed moving out only for it to turn into a compromise where he'd stay but pay his half of the rent only for it to develop into something romantic no later than a six weeks after and that was even harder to convince him that he deserved love, that there was nothing wrong with wanting to be in love even if others didn't get that opportunity so many years ago. Then there was the dates, the awkward dates where Lio continued to keep his guard up and himself vigilant and their engagement which was still fairly recent and not even planned yet but they had all the time in the world to plan it.

"You know I _can't_ do that, Galo. You understand why, yes?" Lio's finally found his words and breaths, still shaky but better than before at least. At least he doesn't sound like he's on the verge of tears. _I want to._ He wants to say the words so badly, to say yes but the doubt and guilt has hold on his brain before he shakes his head. "Do you think it'd be a good idea to put a kid through that? You know, I'm pretty sure people still hate me, hate burnish and to put a kid through that.. I can't do that." His reasoning is solid, after all people still come for him though with words more than sticks and rocks and while it's nearly died down it's still present and it's something he'd never mentioned to Galo but knowing him, he's probably aware. Lio could handle the brunt of it and he has for so long but what about their nonexistent child? What if kids ended up being as cruel as adults? What if someone hurt them? And what if they weren't allowed the same opportunities because their father just so happened to be former terrorist Lio Fotia. Would they resent him?

"..Stupid."

"Excuse me-?!"

"You're being stupid!" Galo huffs through his nose and scrunches his nose, pressing his forehead to Lio once he has his attention. He's grinding his forehead against his, stubborn and reminiscent of their first meeting. He struck a nerve and it was clear that even Galo had his limits and was just about done with hearing it. "That's a shitty excuse and you know it! You act like I wouldn't be around, like I'm gonna just disappear and get lost and leave you both once we have a kid or something. You know, I thought I was the idiot but you may be dumber than me." Fuschia eyes locked with his own blue ones as if challenging him and he watches as Lio opens his mouth to speak only to reach out and press his index finger to the other's lip, effectively shushing him. "Lemme finish first. I get it, I do! I'm just as worried too ya know? You can't use that as an excuse forever though-"

"It's not an excuse!"

"You said the same thing about dating! You said you were scared people were gonna start chucking rocks at me too and guess what? They haven't!" Galo assured and to Lio's knowledge, he was right though he assumed that had to do more with being the fire fighting idiot who saved the world. He let out a hiss as he felt Galo grind his forehead against his once more, they'd both be red later probably or bruised. "Listen, that was a risk I was willing to take and this is one I'm willing to take too and I wanna take it but with you. Yeah, people are gonna be shitty. There's always gonna be jerks and assholes around but you and me? We're gonna be around for each other, for the kid - if we have one - and that's no reason not to try!" He pressed further as if trying to force his reasoning through his dense skull. 

"What about the others?! Who's gonna help other burnish get back on their feet?" Lio hissed, practically demanding a name and certain that the firefighter would find none but to no avail. Galo was smart and thought that far ahead, "Ignis would and so would Meis! Stop being so stupid already!" Another huff and then he's pressing forward more till Lio falls flat on his back against the couch, trapped between the cushions and Galo who had made an effort to keep his arms planted on either side. "You can't keep doing this you know? It's not healthy! It's not good to keep running to keep doing this, Lio. You don't have to do that anymore. You don't have to keep building walls, you idiot!"

Something within him snaps and Lio is nearly in tears and so stunned by himself. He never had time to weep when he was in the Mad Burnish, he saved his tears, bottled them away and told himself that the Promare had burnt them away but now they seemed to pool along the corners of his eyes and trickle down his cheeks slowly. Lio Fotia never cried, or at least, never so easily and openly but with Galo he did. The first time was the first night he had spent without the Promare inside him, he remembered crying out that the silence was worse than any burn or ice bullet. He had felt cold without it and Galo had been there to hold him, quietly shushing him and just allowing him the needed time to let it all out and enjoy the warmth that radiated between the two of them. The second time was after a funeral that was organized for burnish who hadn't survived the assault on the compound or the prometech engine. He could recall how he struggled to carry on that day, eyeing the ashes from each pod or how only some were listed with names while others had simply just been mingled together thanks to how they were strapped into the pods. Some weren't given a single grave and it hurt to think about and that night, he wept over a can of beer while Galo stood close by and ready to ease him on the back of his motorcycle and back home.

"What if they hate me..? You think that there's a kid that wants to be adopted by me - I mean us..?" Lio ask, voice hoarse from his own vocal sobbing as he struggled to steady his breathing. His gaze locked on Galo's face and he could see how the light from the projector seemed to highlight his face, showing how his lips pursed and moved awkwardly as he thought as if weighing his choice of words while furrowing his brows. God, Galo was always expressive even when he thought and if it weren't for the situation, Lio would laugh at him but for now he wouldn't not that he even could at this moment with so much on his mind and his breakdown slowly ebbing down. "They won't. I know they won't."

"I don't think I'd want the former leader of Mad Burnish to adopt me." Lio muttered under his breath. _Or someone from burning rescue but he had his own reason for that, obviously._

"...Rrogate.." He groans as he quickly sits up, freeing Lio from underneath him only to carefully pull him up. "We don't have to adopt! That's what I was trying to tell you before all... This!" The way he pointed at Lio should have been a clear indicator that he was referring to _before_ the breakdown and he could see a faint twitch of annoyance in his brow. Uh oh, better to salvage it before he finds himself outside for the night or on fire. "Heris said we could get a refrigerate -"

"You mean a surrogate..?"

"Yeah, that and Aina even offered to be one! We could have a kid of our own and we can raise 'em ourselves! I mean, it might also end up being Aina's kid I think? I dunno, Heris explained it but it kind of put me to sleep-" The laugh that escapes Lio stops him dead in his tracks. _Oh god, he's snapped,_ is the first thought that crosses Galo's mind as he watches Lio wipe and rub at his now bleary eyes and he _smiles._ it's shaky and nervous but it's a smile that makes his breath hitch and catch in his throat. "She said her and Heris would help us out too and Ignis has a kid too so he'd be like a grandfather, would help us raise 'em and all.. Make sure we aren't feeding them pizza twenty-four-seven."

"Galo."

"I know, I know! Pizza once a week but what about the veggie kind during-" He trails on, his mind now on pizza every Friday. Would four boxes be enough between the three of them? What if the kid _didn't_ like pizza?!

" **Galo Thymos** _._ "

 _Scary._ He can recall when full names usually meant trouble and he was expecting Lio to scold him, call him stupid, kick him out of his own apartment but instead he was met with lips crushed against his and he made damn sure to reciprocate despite his own confusion, resting his hands along the small of the other's back and pulling him close. The sound Lio made was a faint mix between a low hum and a chuckle and it took quite a lot of willpower for Galo to pull back to actually see if Lio hadn't snapped and was running on fumes.

"I want to try." The words come out slow, stumbling out shyly and Lio's certain his face had been tinted red thanks to his earlier sobbing and now blush that crept along his face. "I want to try but.." There's a pregnant pause and it's clear that the dread and fear of having a child still scares him but he finds peace in being with Galo, in being near him and maybe he was right. He had built walls for someone who hadn't even existed yet and that wasn't healthy. He hated when Galo was right but he was and maybe it wasn't healthy but Galo showed no sign of leaving nor of wanting to leave so he sighed, shoulders dropping as he finally gave in. "You had better stay around for a long time, Galo Thymos, or so help me you'll wish you never met me."

Three things happened in that moment; Galo hollered so loud that Lio was nearly certain that his eardrums had been shattered in his fit of excitement. He stood up and was lifted bridal style because of course the fire fighter with the burning soul had to show off his equally burning strength and third, spun him in circles till he accidentally knocked the projector over, nearly breaking the thing in half all while shouting about possible names and schools.

"We should call Aina - Put me down! Galo please, I'm gonna get sick!" There was a whine as Lio tried to pry himself free but was unable to and accepted his fate to be spun a good three or more times. Well the dizzyness that he'd feel would certainly take his mind off the tinge of fear he felt in his stomach.

"Is Matoi a good name? Or Vira? I think I like Matoi personally!" Galo beamed, finally setting Lio down on his feet before sprinting to his phone and flipping it open to text Aina the good news. "We're not naming them Matoi! Galo Thymos, listen to me! Don't you dare name our child that!" He huffed, quickly running to stand alongside Galo who had already received the congratulatory call as soon as the message was sent.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally started as a vent fic and transformed into something else I guess Lmao  
> Main twitter: [Sphairais](https://twitter.com/Sphairais)  
> Fic update twitter: [BurnishfIares](https://twitter.com/burnishfIares)


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